


Big Hug

by Octotrooper



Category: Splatoon, Splatoon 2
Genre: Cuddle, Gen, Tentacles, hug, macro, octarian - Freeform, platonic, sfw, squishy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-01 00:49:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20456351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octotrooper/pseuds/Octotrooper
Summary: Apparently, hugging is more important in the Underground than you thought.Point-of-view story featuring a small headcanon for the Octarians and their leader. (SFW, but self-indulgent.)





	Big Hug

“You’re joking, right?”

You stare at the Octotrooper soldier in front of you with your jaw slack. Cuddle DJ Octavio? The Great General himself? Maybe the quiet humming from your tactical goggles muffled what you just heard.

The Octotrooper is all smiles, his whole body excitedly wiggling. “Not joking! Octavio LOVES hugs! You mean you’ve never been to a public cuddle pile with him?”

“I just got inducted into the Octozon position from a completely different sector of the Underground,” you say, lifting up your Octoshot. “I’ve never really had a chance to be around him.”

“Oh cod, it’s wonderful.” The Octotrooper’s face is completely screwed up with love. “He’s so BIG, and warm, and he smells just like wasabi! You can feel how strong he is when you curl around him. He’s so amazing.”

“You really like him, don’t you?” you ask.

“Uh-huh,” says the Octotrooper. “He’s the best!”

You’re not sure what to say. Truth be told, you haven’t been an Octarian for very long, but you don’t want the simple-minded soldier in front of you knowing that.

You’re a Remix. You were transformed into an Octoling over the course of a few weeks in a controlled lab environment. It was something you’d felt compelled to do after hearing about the plight of the Octarian people.

You’ve spent the last few months trying to adjust to Underground life. The thing that’s surprised you the most so far is the sheer amount of cuddling being done. It seems like every street you walk down, there’s at least one pair of Octarians settled on a front stoop, tentacles wrapped around each other in a very curly platonic embrace. Sometimes there are groups of four or more, leaning against each other and talking about whatever’s on their minds. Touch, it seems, is important to them.

It took you a while to work up the courage to get into your first cuddle pile. When you finally tried it out, it felt like a long, squishy, warm hug. Octarian instincts implanted in you during the Remixing process meant that you enjoyed it thoroughly.

But you don’t know how to feel about hugging Octavio. Isn’t he the boss of all bosses? Why does he, of all people, want hugs from random civilians? Can it really be that he has the same touch instincts as the rest of the Octarians? Maybe you don’t understand because you haven’t met him yet.

“I’ll do it,” you find yourself saying. “When’s the next pile?”

“It’s tonight!” says the Octotrooper.

Why do you want to do this? Perhaps you just need an excuse to see what all the fuss over the DJ is about.

-x-

The “cuddle chamber’s” floor is soft and red. Octavio, much bigger than you expected him to be, sits sprawled out in the center of the floor. The ends of his tentacles curl and twist slowly.

There are many excited Octarians in the room. Some of them are already approaching the octopus Shogun, leaning their bodies against them and wrapping their tentacles around his massive arms.

The Octotrooper from earlier is there, staring at the DJ with an expression that betrays his pounding hearts. He settles himself next to one of the DJ’s suckers and makes a long, happy gargle.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Remix.” Octavio’s fiery eyes are focused on you.

“I… I don’t… I just wanted to…”

“C’mere.” Octavio motions for you to approach him with his head.

You slowly walk foward. You’re unsure how to pick a good spot. Is it OK for a new recruit to lean against his body, or are you supposed to take a spot near the end of his arms? Does he have any ticklish spots? Should you address him as “General Octavio” or is just “Deej” okay?

You find yourself nestled into a spot where one of Octavio’s arms meets with his body. Underneath the layer of Octarian slime, you find little scars and dents on his skin. They were completely invisible from a distance. You can’t imagine how many battles he’s been in.

Your face is resting partially against one of his suckers. It’s slightly stiffer than the rest of his body. It twitches every so often as he tries not to instinctively latch onto your face.

Octavio is taking deep breaths. It’s a forced, anxious kind of breathing. You wrap yourself around the DJ’s muscular arm and get as comfortable as you can. He turns his head to glance at you with a movement that’s a bit too sudden.

“Sorry, DJ,” you say. “Didn’t meant to scare you.”

You close your eyes. Octavio’s huge body is warm against your skin and smells like wasabi.

As you lie there, cuddled up against the leader of the Octarian Army with the others, Octavio begins to relax. You can feel his breathing become slower and more natural, his whole body expanding and contracting in a gentler way, the stiffness in his arms melting away.

Octavio makes a low gurgling noise that rumbles through your whole body. Then -

“Tako…”

“Tako,” you respond.

All the joys of being Octarian can be expressed in just those two syllables. You didn’t understand it when you first came to the Underground.

Wrapped up in the biggest hug of your life, you understand perfectly.


End file.
